Ultraviolet lamps are often used in water purification systems. The ultraviolet or germicidal lamps are used to treat wastewater. Tubular germicidal lamps are often placed in a flow chamber, typically parallel with the direction of fluid flow. One such lamp is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,422,487 entitled “Waste Water Purification System With Complementary Interlocking Germicidal Lamp and Socket Construction” issuing to Sauska et al on Jun. 6, 1995, which is herein incorporated by reference. Therein disclosed is a waste water treating apparatus for disinfecting a liquid affluent. Germicidal or ultraviolet lamps are disposed within the flow of the affluent or waste water to be treated. The lamps are longitudinally disposed throughout the parallel flow relationship to the waste water flowing there around.
In other water purification systems, the water being treated is kept apart from contacting the germicidal lamp by placement next to independent fluid conduits. Those systems are generally more costly due to the more complicated structure. One such system is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,230,792 entitled “Ultraviolet Water Purification System With Variable Intensity Control”, issuing to Sauska et al on Jul. 27, 1993, which is herein incorporated by reference.
While these prior water purification systems are generally adequate, they usually require fairly long lengths of water flow. Additionally, while the water adjacent to the germicidal lamp is often treated adequately, however, the water flowing at a greater distance from the germicidal lamp may require additional exposure or treatment time. As a result, the overall exposure time is often increased to assure that the water more distant from the lamp is adequately treated.
Therefore, there is a need to improve the purification and treatment of a fluid with germicidal lamps. Additionally, there is a need to reduce the overall size of the purification or germicidal system using germicidal lamps, and to reduce the required time of exposure and the thoroughness or evenness of the germicidal effect.